Kama'aina
by stephmcx
Summary: Danny isn't a Haole anymore.


It was a late saturday afternoon, and Danny felt as content as he hadn't in a long time. He was sitting in his usual spot on their beach—well, Steve's beach to be precise, but it felt like _their_ beach, really, after all these years.

The sun was already low enough to not be scorching anymore, so he closed his eyes and leaned his head back, half dozing, occasionally checking on Charlie and his two friends playing in the surf. He heard faint sounds of metal against metal, coming from the garage where Steve was working on his beloved Marquis. Grace's voice would waft his way from time to time, from where she was sitting on the lanai, working on her homework and video chatting with Will.

Everyone he loved was save and sound and accounted for. His family. Even if it was so vastly different from all he had ever imagined his own family to be. He was content, he was happy, he wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world in this moment. Not even New Jersey.

A loud screech from one of the boys had him lift his head and squint, but no one was in immediate danger of drowning. Danny couldn't help but think back to when Grace had been Charlie's age, to when they had first moved to Hawaii. He wouldn't have let her out of his eyes for even a second. Having nearly lost her in the divorce had made him over-protective, he knew that now, but just the thought of her in any potentially dangerous situation had been unbearable back then.

For a moment, he let himself imagine what this moment right now would be like back in Jersey. He thought of suburbia and stifling heat instead of the light breeze coming in from the sea. He thought of the dusty smell of sun on asphalt instead of the unique scent of plumeria. He thought of a small pool in a small backyard instead of a private beach. He thought of sitting on a small patio overlooking a tiny shred of a garden, surrounded by a wooden fence to shield his family from nosy neighbors.

It was what he had once dreamed of, and looking back he didn't know how he could ever have found it appealing. Why, for a long time after having moved to Hawaii he would have taken it instantly if offered.

He shook his head at himself, wriggled his toes into the sand, took in the wide scenery of the shoreline and wondered when exactly he had given in, when had this place become home, when had he started to embrace the island lifestyle?

He remembered how annoyed he'd been at first, by the heat, the sand, the beaches, surfboards, pineapples, all the pidgin he never understood—literally by everything that defined Hawaii. How he had embraced being called _Haole_ because he hadn't _wanted_ to fit in.

Until Steve had barged into his life and had taken his anger and his aversion and his prejudices away bit by bit. No, he hadn't just taken them away, he had turned them around, he had taught Danny to enjoy and love this place. And all along the way, Danny had not just fallen in love with Hawaii, but with Steve.

He smiled at the memory of that night five years ago, when the stars had aligned and they had kissed for the first time, just about at the spot where Charlie and his friends had built an enormous sandcastle today.

A bottle of beer appeared in front of his face, seemingly out of nowhere, and he looked up surprised to find Steve there, looking at him with a raised eyebrow and curious half-smile.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked.

Steve had changed into his board shorts, no doubt intending to go swimming to cool off after having worked in the sauna that was the garage for hours. For a moment, Danny thought about how Steve would fit into suburban New Jersey, into the picture he had thought of, but it wouldn't match. Hawaii was where they both belonged.

"Was thinking of you," Danny said and reached out to take the beer from Steve.

"That's cute and also not true," Steve said, but his smile had turned from curious to goofy and Danny couldn't help but smile back—most likely even more goofy, if not stupid with love.

"Yes, it's true." Danny grabbed Steve's hand to pull him down and closer, until they were face to face. "I was thinking how lucky I am to be here, right now, in this place, in this moment, with my family." He brushed his mouth against Steve's in a feather-light kiss, and added "With you."

Danny felt Steve's smile against his lips and he felt Steve lean into him a bit, and as much as he wanted to go on with the kissing, this was neither the time nor the place for sappy love confessions. With a final brush of his lips against Steve's he pulled back.

"I don't know about you, but I feel like going swimming," he declared instead and grinned at the way Steve's face morphed from regret about the broken kiss into joyful delight.

"I knew there was a reason why I fell in love with you," Steve said and he cupped Danny's neck with his hand and leaned in for another short kiss.

A second later and Steve was sprinting down towards the water, while Danny took a swig of his beer, deposited the bottle next to his chair and followed Steve into the waves at a slower pace. Happy. At home.


End file.
